Archive for October 2014

The government is awarding the right to set future apprenticeship standards for the recruitment industry to a group of companies brought together by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).

Following the Richard Review into the future of apprenticeships, the government launched plans for trailblazer apprenticeships. Already covering sectors such as aerospace, nursing and retail, trailblazers are intended to be led by employers and much more closely matched to their needs.

Today (Thursday), the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced a third phase of winning bids to run trailblazers in 37 additional employment sectors. They include the REC’s successful proposal, made on behalf of a group of ten recruitment companies led by Serocor Solutions.

In addition to the REC’s established qualifications and apprenticeships, the group will now develop two further trailblazer apprenticeships for two occupations, recruitment consultant and recruitment resourcer.

REC Chief Executive, Kevin Green said: “Apprenticeships that are driven less by the educational system and more by real-life work experience are good for employers and employees. I’m delighted the government’s recognised the important role we can play in further developing industry qualifications that meet the needs of recruiters as well as providing individuals with skills they can take from job to job.

“Trailblazers should attract new talent into the sector and encourage a wider range of people to join the recruitment industry.”

The government will contribute £2 to the cost of the new apprenticeships for every £1 spent by the employer and that funding will be available to a broader age range than previously. The intention is that, from September 2017, everyone taking up an apprenticeship will be on the new standards being developed through trailblazer which builds on the REC’s existing programme.

Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “I congratulate the REC for the key role it is playing in developing new top-quality apprenticeships. Through the trailblazers initiative, organisations like the REC, in collaboration with their industry partners, will give people the skills they need to thrive and our businesses need to compete.”

Derek Goff, Learning & Development Manager at Serocor, said: “The Trailblazers programme offers UK businesses a fantastic opportunity to shape the next generation of apprenticeship schemes – giving them increased value for both employers and apprentices. Our industry is thriving and we want to make recruitment a career of choice for school leavers by offering apprenticeships that lead to a clear career path driven by assessment and a nationally-recognised qualification.”

The employers involved with the REC in the recruitment trailblazer are:

The REC is the professional body for the recruitment industry. The REC represents 3,349 corporate members who have branches across all regions of the UK. In addition, the REC represents 5,759 individual members within the Institute of Recruitment Professionals (IRP). All members must abide by a code of professional practice. Above all, the REC is committed to raising standards and highlighting excellence throughout the industry. http://www.rec.uk.com.

For more information, contact the REC Press Office on 0207 009 2157/2192 or pressoffice@rec.uk.com. An ISDN line is available for interviews on 0207 021 0584

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Cathy Richardson

Cathy shares her views on life, job hunting and the UK recruitment industry. There may be a few references to yoga too! And mindfulness, stress management and cognitive behavioural approaches to making life easier and job hunting more successful. She will be very happy to hear your views on what she produces here!

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